Onaji Demo Chigatta
by Arbil
Summary: When 3 ex-Water Country kunoichi came to Konoha, Tsunade certainly did not expect them to bring change. As the story to Setsuna's past unfolded slowly, Naruto-tachi began to discover that Setsuna was more connected to them than meets the eye...
1. Odoroki

A/N: I never really regarded myself as a Mary-Sue writer, but then again I _am_ an OC creator. So here's to my Mary-Sue fic. Um, so far no pairings planned. You'll have to read up to at least chapter 230 in the manga to understand what I'll be writing. In my story, Naruto managed to bring Sasuke back, 'kay? I can't stand seeing Naruto beat up!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Onaji**** Demo Chigatta**

"…" talk

((…)) thoughts

**Bold** changes in scene

Dai 1-sho: Odoroki

* * *

**Hokage's**** Office**

"Mou, I hate paperwork!!!" A busty lady who looked like she was 20 pushed away the pile of papers in front of her. Tsunade let out a frustrated sigh; signing papers wasn't on her to-do list when she took the name of Hokage. She pinched her eyes shut, trying to relieve the strain on her brown eyes. Uchiha Sasuke had been successfully retrieved by the team of Genin led by Chuunin Nara Shikamaru, with a little help from the Sabakuno siblings. Okay, maybe they suffered life-threatening injuries and could've easily died but hey, they made it, right? Konoha was rebuilding very well and majority of the village had already gone back to its usual state. No news had been heard from the Sound Village or of Orochimaru. Still, they can't afford to loosen their attention. Now, some shut eye sounded like a good idea…

* * *

**Konoha village**

A golden blur jumped from roof to roof, making his way across the village. Uzumaki Naruto stopped for a while to look at the four faces carved onto the mountain side. One day, he will claim the title of Hokage and surpass the others. That has always been his dream. "E to, I've said 'Ohayou' to Sakura-chan, gave Shikamaru a wake-up call (that no doubt he does not appreciate) had my cup ramen breakfast…training's not until later, what am I gonna do?" After a while's thought, the blond grinned as he decided to visit that grumpy old lady in her office.

"Tsunade-baba! A re?" Naruto sweatdropped at the sight of a sleeping Tsunade. She's even drooling on her table! "Mataku, what kind of a Hokage are you? Hm?" Suddenly, a sly grin replaced the frown on his face. Tsunade-baba will definitely have a shock when she wakes up.

* * *

Something tickled her nose. Frowning, Tsunade wrinkled her nose. But the tickle didn't go away. She clenched her eyes tight. ((Go away. And I was having such a nice nap?)) Wait, nap? "Holy sh-!" Tsunade's head shot up and banged on a pot that hung above her. Before she had the chance to even cry out in pain, a bucket tipped over and down came the water in a splash. "ACK!" Chalk powder came next, making Tsunade looked like a very lumpy flour monster. Naruto was currently finding not laughing very hard to accomplish. Tsunade belted out a string of colourful curses, before catching a distinct snort which turned into peals of laughter. "NARUTO!!!!"

Five minutes later, a cleaned-up Tsunade sat at her table with Naruto seated in front of her. The blond boy was currently massaging his bruised head. "Itai yo! You don't have to hit that hard, Tsunade-baba!" "Don't call me that, brat! You deserved it!" A soft chuckle.

"Dare ka?" demanded the blond shinobi, as he drew out a kunai. Tsunade too had gotten on her feet. Suddenly, three figures stepped out. Tsunade was stunned to see that they were three girls. The seemingly oldest girl spoke up. "Sorry for our rudeness, Hokage-sama."

"Who are you girls and what are you doing here?" ((I didn't even sense them.))

"Ah, how rude of me. My name is Nakamura Chiei. Dozo yoroshiku." The oldest girl bowed, her green tresses brushing her shoulder.

"Sakamoto Natsumi desu!! Yoroshiku!" said a very cheerful, and loud, girl with a ribbon-like hairdo.

The last girl had no smile on her face. She looked quite uninterested. "Nakashima Setsuna."

((Why didn't the Chuunins on patrol inform me?)) As though reading her thoughts, Chiei said with a smile, "The guards have been put to sleep. I'm sorry we have to intrude like this." Tsunade sat back down. "De, what do you three want?" Before Chiei could say a word, Natsumi interrupted, "We wanna be Konoha ninjas!" "Nani?!"

"You see, Hokage-sama. We used to be ninjas from Mizu no Kuni but due to a certain incident, we are exiled from our village." Tsunade raised her eyebrow at the girl, "Ho? And what is the incident?" Chiei looked somewhat embarrassed. "Oh, it was very unfortunate! You see, the son of the Water Country Lord likes to frequent our village. One night, he passed by us in the streets after coming back from a bar. I believed he had too much to drink. When he saw us, he acted rather…improper towards us. It wasn't serious…" "Not serious?!" cut in Natsumi. "He was trying to grope us! Serves him right I beat him black blue!" Tsunade sweatdropped. ((Mata tsukebe ka?)) "You didn't have to be so aggressive." "Aggressive? Me? Setsuna broke his wrist! I actually went light on him already! Anyways, he ran home crying to his daddy and we were called to see him. Then, he bombarded us with flying spit and some shit about not respecting the Lord of the Water Country and before we even got a word in, BAM! He exiled us! Just like that!"

During the whole exchange, Naruto carefully observed the new intruders. He took a liking to Chiei's gentle demeanour almost instantly. He found Natsumi to be rather loud and fiery, and what's with the strange hairstyle? However, he just couldn't put a finger on that purple-haired girl, who looked very much bored. Setsuna caught him staring. "What are you staring at, baka?"

((Grr, her attitude is so much like Sasuke's.)) Natsumi stopped talking. She stared at Naruto as though she had just seen him. "Oh, who's the shorty?" "Nani?!" Naruto pointed at Natsumi, "Don't call me shorty! Bow head!" Natsumi turned to fully face Naruto. "What did you call me?" "Bow head!" yelled the blond shinobi, prompting a shouting match. The two began exchanging curses, as Chiei shook her head and sighed. A vein popped on Tsunade's head and she drove her fists into both their heads. Chiei sweatdropped. "Yurusai!" shouted the Godaime. She dragged Naruto up and was soon yelling at him. Natsumi sat up and rubbed her head, "Itai…She really packs a punch." The dark-haired girl caught Naruto's eyes and they shot glares at each other. Tsunade gave Naruto another knock on the head, "Don't be rude! Introduce yourself!" Naruto folded his arms and pouted, "Aa, wakatta! Ore wa Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha no shinobi. One day, I will claim the title of Hokage!!"

Setsuna looked up. ((Uzumaki?)) Chiei also seemed to be thinking of something. "Anta-tachi, what rank are you?" "If you wish to place us as Genins, we don't mind, Hokage-sama." "Does that mean we're accepted?" "Hai." Natsumi jumped, "Yeah, I'm a Konoha ninja!!" "Ano, the lodging…" Chiei started. Setsuna stepped forward and spoke for the first time, "We'll live at his place." She said as she gestured towards Naruto. "Eh?! But I live in an apartment!" protested the blond. But Setsuna was already walking away. "That'll save me time from having to look for lodging for you. All right then! You three will live with Naruto. Give me your details so I can fix up your passes and documents."

* * *

"Eh?!" came the reaction from Naruto's pink-haired team mate. Naruto, who was in front of her, and Sasuke, whom she was glomping, winced at her volume. The three girls behind Naruto almost felt sorry for their new housemate. Sasuke took this opportunity to slip out of Sakura's grasp. "So, you three are from Mizu no Kuni."

"Sou desu. Watashi wa Nakamura Chiei desu. Dozo yoroshiku."

"Namae wa Sakamoto Natsumi!"

"Haruno Sakura. Yoroshiku."

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Oh, the famous Uchiha clan." Chiei said smilingly. Sasuke looked away. He didn't like people to mention about his clan. It reminded him too much about Itachi, and that in turn reminded him about how he tried to betray Konoha last year. Sakura saw the smile she was giving the raven-haired boy. Inner Sakura screamed, ((Sasuke-kun is mine!! Jyanaro!!)) Sakura pushed Inner Sakura away and turned to Setsuna. "Um, excuse me. What's your name?" Setsuna shot her an icy glance that reminded her of her beloved Sasuke-kun. "Kochira wa Nakashima Setsuna."

Suddenly, there was a poof, and a silver-haired man appeared. "Maa, sorry I'm late. I had to help an old grandpa find his walking stick." As if on clockwork, Naruto and Sakura pointed at Kakashi and yelled, "Usotsuki!" "Ahahaha…Hm?" A single eyebrow quirked at the sight of the three girls. "Ah, you must the new Genins that Godaime-sama told me about. I'm Hatake Kakashi." "Well, since they're new here, you three, why don't you show them around the village? There's no training today then. Ja na." With that, Kakashi disappeared.

* * *

Team 7 had done as Kakashi suggested and showed the three new girls around Konoha. Well, actually Naruto did most of the showing around. Sakura was putting more effort into trying to get Sasuke on a date. They also brought then to meet with the other Genins.

**Yamanaka Flower Shop **

"Sakura big-forehead! Get your hands off Sasuke-kun!" yelled blonde Yamanaka Ino as she took Sasuke's other arm prisoner. "Shut up, Ino-pig! You get your hands off my Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke sighed. Maybe he should've gone straight to Orochimaru, if just to get away from these two. "Yare, yare. Uchiha-kun seems popular." Ino let go of the Uchiha and turned to look at Chiei. Ino was struck speechless. ((Who is she? She's so pretty. If I compete with her for Sasuke-kun, I might lose to her.)) "Watashi wa Nakamura Chiei desu. You must be Yamanaka Ino." "Ah, hai! Yamanaka Ino desu. I help run my family's flower shop." "Ah, is that so? The flowers here are very pretty, and fresh." Chiei smiled. Ino silently admired the older girl's grace as she spoke. ((I'm starting to feel incompetent already.))

**Nara**** Residence**

Shikamaru lazily introduced himself to the three girls. ((More women. This is going be troublesome.)) "Shikamaru is a Chuunin." Setsuna was rather surprised though it did not show on her face. ((Definitely doesn't look like it.)) Shikamaru shifted his weight on one foot. He frowned at Naruto. "I'm going to pay you back for waking me up so damn early tgis morning." Naruto was undaunted by the threat.

**Hyuuga Residence**

Hyuuga Hinata shyly met with the small group of shinobis. During their short exchange, Chiei couldn't help noticing how Hinata stuttered and blushed every time Naruto talked to her. While they were exchanging formalities, Hyuuga Neji came in. Another round of introductions was made. Neji observed them wordlessly. ((I hope they make strong opponents.)) And so passed the first of Chiei, Setsuna and Natsumi in Konoha.

* * *

Translation

Ohayou- Good morning

Dozo yoroshiku- Pleased to meet you/pleased to make your acquaintance.

Tusukebe- Pervert

Yurusai- Be quiet/shut up

Wakatta- I know/I understand

Kochira- Here

Usotsuki- Liar

A/N: That's for the first chapter! Do you like it? Pretty boring for a start, huh? Anyway, please review! Sankyuu!


	2. Hentai Ni Wa Daikirai!

A/N: I realise that I didn't specify when the story takes place. Well, I think a year after Sasuke's retrieval, I guess, since I don't really have a set time. Let's go straight to the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Onaji**** Demo Chigatta**

"…" talk

((…)) thoughts

**Bold** changes in scene

* * *

Dai 2-sho: Hentai Ni Wa Daikirai!

**Naruto's apartment **

"Natsumi, Natsumi. Wake up. Mou, until when do you want to stay in bed?"

"5 more minutes…"

"I'm throwing your breakfast away if you don't get up soon!" Natsumi just grunted. Chiei shook her head. Oh well, let's try another tactic. "If that's what you will…good pancakes gone to waste. And the tempura too." A blur flashed past her into the bathroom and was soon at the table. "Yay! Ittadakimasu!" Setsuna frowned. ((She sure is energetic…)) Chiei entered. "You only respond to food, don't you?" Natsumi didn't answer; she was too busy stuffing her face with pancakes. Suddenly, she looked up from her breakfast. "A re? Where's shorty?"

"Natsumi, don't call people names! Naruto-kun was up earlier. He went out to meet his teacher and team-mates after breakfast." Chiei chided. "I'm going out for a walk." "Ah, Setsuna, we have to be at the Hokage's office by three today. Don't forget." "Aa." Natsumi finished her food quickly. "I wanna see the village too. Ittekimasu!" "Be careful! Don't get lost!" "Hai!"

* * *

Setsuna's POV

This village is much larger than my village. But I heard that some other smaller village had tried to destroy Konoha. Hn, how foolish. I walked around town with nothing much to do. Without realising it, I ended up in a strange spot. ((Hm? Looks like a training ground.)) "Oi, omae wa dare?" I calmly turned to face the person. He had two red stripes on his face and a puppy in his jacket. "…" "I asked you, who the hell are you?" ((Must one of the Genins. Doesn't look very strong.)) "Kiba-kun…" a small voice said behind us. "Hinata!" I recognised her as Hyuuga Hinata, one of the Genins that we met yesterday. "S-Setsuna-san?"

This girl stutters all the time and she's so timid and shy. ((Is she really a kunoichi? But she has the Byakugan.)) After all, the famous Byakugan could not be underestimated. "Shitteru ka, Hinata?" Said girl nodded and explained my presence. I took this moment to study the other two boys, presumably her team-mates. The boy with the puppy was loud and brash. The way he speaks proved it. The other though, was quiet. An absolute opposite. "A-Ano, t-this is I-Inuzuka Kiba, a-and A-Aburame Shino. They're my-my team-mates." ((Is she scared of strangers or was she born this way?)) I acknowledged them with a nod.

"Ah, sorry 'bout just now. But this is where we train." ((Protective over his team's territory? He's really like a canine.)) I turned to walk away but Hinata ran up to me. "A-Ano, Kiba-kun d-didn't mean to-to be rude." "It's okay. I'm going anyway."

* * *

Meanwhile, Natsumi's POV

Mou!! I can't believe I got lost again! I was so sure this was the right way!! I looked around. From the looks of it, I seem to be at the hot springs. "Hm, I don't remember shorty showing us this place before. Hm?" From the bridge, I saw an old man crouching at the fence of the hot springs. He had white hair and he carried a weird scroll on his back. What was he doing? Suddenly, it clicked. "Hentai yaro!! What are you doing peeping at the women's bath?!" I heard some women scream and chaos while the old man shot up and looked around. When he spotted me, his face went red and really horny-looking. In a second, he was in front of me. "Hey, pretty little girl, I've never seen you around before. Would you like me to show you around this village?" Argh! He was holding me hand as he said that! "Let go, you ero-jiji!!" I delivered a punch onto his face that sent him flying into the water. I walked off cursing under my breath. Who cares if the pervert boils in there? Serves him right!

After a little while, I cooled off enough to find myself somewhere unfamiliar. "What?! Again?!" "Er, miss…" I swiftly turned around and saw a sight which almost made me shout out loud. ((Guh! Who the hell is he? Wh-What thick eyebrows! And that super ugly bowl cut! Eeeww!!!)) "Miss, are you lost?" I managed to nod. "Um, I don't think I've seen you before. Are you a tourist?" "No. I'm a new Konoha Genin." He raised a (thick) eyebrow. "Well, Naruto-kun did tell me this morning." "Oh, you know the shorty?" He nodded. Geh, he really makes me gag, with the strange green bodysuit and everything, but he seemed like a nice person. He held out a hand, "Boku no namae wa Rock Lee. Dozo yoroshiku."

* * *

Back to Setsuna's POV

This was really starting to bore me. In this case maybe I should've gone to train instead. I walked on until I reached a clearing. There were three posts in the clearing. ((Another training ground?)) I noticed on one of the posts, a scratch, but still visible, Naruto's name. ((Ah, so this is his team's training spot.)) Maybe I could borrow this place for a bit of exercise.

* * *

Back to Natsumi's POV

"And that's the road leading to the gates. Got it?" I scrunched my forehead for a while. "Yeah, I think I do now. Thanks, Lee!" Lee looked embarrassed but pleased. "It's nothing really." Just then, I noticed the hitai-ate tied around his middle. "Oh, Lee, you're a ninja too?" "Hai! I'm one of the older Genins." "Cool! That means you're my senpai!" Lee smiled, "I guess so. It's pretty late in the afternoon, past three already. Would you like to come and see me train?" "Yeah, why not?" Wait a second, did he say past three in the afternoon? "Shimatta!! I'm late!!" Lee was taken aback. "I was supposed to be at the Hokage's office at three!! Oh no! Chiei will kill me!" I looked around. "Lee! The Hokage's that way, right?" "H-Hai." "I can still make it if I run! Ja, mata ne Lee-senpai! I'll see you train some other day!"

* * *

**Hokage's**** office**

Chiei tapped her foot while Setsuna looked annoyed. "Where's Natsumi?" Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "You're finally here, Natsumi. You're-oh!" Chiei was rather embarrassed when it was Kakashi who entered. Said man raised his eyebrow. "Gomen nasai! I thought you were Natsumi." Kakashi just smiled under his mask and waved it off. The rest of Team 7 came in to report their finished mission. Then, just as suddenly, someone burst through the door. "Made it!" Natsumi announced her presence loudly, panting heavily. Setsuna spoke from her place, "You're late." "Hey, I ran all the way here, okay? Anyway, I got lost!" "I'm surprised you got yourself here then." Natsumi fumed, "Well, Lee-senpai helped me." Everyone looked at her. Chiei cocked her head to one side, "Lee-senpai?" "Ano sa, ano sa. Does this guy have really thick eyebrows?" Natsumi jumped up at Naruto's question.

"Yeah, and he has got a bowl cut hairstyle, too!"

"Ahaha! I told Thickbrows this morning about you guys!"

"But before I met him, there's another perverted guy who actually tried to pick me up!"

Just then, someone came in, drawing everyone's attention to the door. A person with long, spiky white hair came in. He took one look at the room, and immediately locked his eyes on Chiei. He rushed in front of Chiei and held her hand, but before he could speak, two fists rammed on his head.

"Ero-jiji, get away from Chiei!"

"Ero-sennin, don't mess with my friends!"

"Heh? You know ero-sennin?" asked the blond. Natsumi looked enraged, "He's the perverted old man I was talking about!" Jiraiya lifted his now bumpy head and saw Natsumi. He shot back up. "Oh, you're the miss this morning! To meet again, we must be fated to be together!" "Gyah! Don't touch me!" Chiei warned a tad bit too late, "Watch out, Natsumi really hates perverts." For the third time in the day, Jiraiya received a punch. He was sent crashing into the wall. Natsumi began cursing at the dizzy Jiraiya. Naruto looked at the crack on the wall, ((She's as strong as Tsunade-baba. Or are all girls this powerful when they're angry?)) Tsunade had taken part in giving the old toad hermit a lesson. Once they were done, Tsunade sat back down. "Here are your passes and identity papers, as well as your new hitai-ate. But under some of the Chuunins' request, you are required to perform Bunshin no Jutsu, Kawarimi no Jutsu and Henge."

Setsuna snorted, "That's such a waste of time." "If they need proof that we can perform basic jutsus, then we'll just show them." Chiei and Natsumi both performed the Bushin no Jutsu. "Hn." Setsuna grunted before performing the same jutsu. Tsunade's office was filled with look-a-likes of the three girls. "Okay, now the Henge. Henge into anyone in this room." "Henge!" Natsumi turned into Naruto. Chiei did some hand seals and turned into Tsunade. Setsuna wordlessly turned into Sasuke. After cancelling their Henge, Tsunade nodded approvingly. She threw Kakashi a glance. Kakashi offhandedly took out his Icha Icha Paradise. With the other hand he threw three kunais at Chiei. Jiraiya pounced on Setsuna while Tsunade lunged at Natsumi. The kunais hit Chiei, or so they thought until it turned into a thick scroll. Natsumi performed the Kawarimi quickly and avoided Tsunade's attack. Jiraiya hugged Setsuna tight, until he felt cold steel pressed on his neck. He was hugging the scroll behind his back. Tsunade nodded, "Alright! You passed. Here, you are now officially Konoha ninjas." "Yay! I'm a Konoha ninja! Konoha ninja!" cheered the black-haired orange-eyed Natsumi while jumping around the room. Chiei just smiled while Setsuna said nothing.

* * *

Translation

Ittadakimasu –Something like a prayer said before eating

Ittekimasu – I'm going now

Omae – A rough, boyish form of 'you'

Shitteru ka – Do you know…

Boku – A mild form of 'I'. Usually used by a boy.

Shimatta – Oh no! (An expression of shock/surprise/realising something bad)

Eor-jiji – Perverted old man

A/N: This chapter was rather spontaneous. Hope you like it. Please review ne? Sankyuu!


	3. Onna Wa Namen Dayo

A/N: I wasn't really planning to update this fic if no one reviews. This is the first update in months! Next chapter up.

Yuriko-chan – Thanks so much for the review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Onaji**** Demo Chigatta**

"…" talk

((…)) thoughts

**Bold** changes in scene

* * *

Dai 3-sho: Onna Wa Namen Da Yo

**Hokage's office**

Chiei looked somewhat unhappy. Setsuna's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Natsumi was fuming. "What! Another D-rank mission?" Setsuna tried to look unaffected but in truth she was starting to feel irritated. "Hokage-sama, I request for a better mission. At least a B-rank mission?" Tsunade didn't look up from her paperwork. "Look, I'm sorry, but you're still Genins. A mission's still a mission." The three left the building, not satisfied with the excuse given. Setsuna suppressed a sigh of exasperation. "Come on. Let's finish the mission quickly so I can train." Natsumi pouted. It's early in the morning, and they already had to do some crappy mission.

* * *

**Team 7 Training Site**

Sasuke arrived early at the training site. ((Water?)) Sasuke walked nearer and noticed some new marks on the posts. ((Someone's here yesterday, but who? Sakura?)) Sasuke shook his head. His pink-haired team-mate wasn't likely. ((Could it be Naruto?)) Just then, Naruto arrived at the training site to see Sasuke with one hand on the posts. He seemed to be deep in thought. Sasuke caught sight of the blond ninja, "Naruto, did you train here yesterday?" Naruto shook his head. "I was with Iruka-sensei at Ichiraku the whole day." ((Then, who was here?)) "Hey, Sasuke. Don't just daydream there! Spar with me!" Sasuke smirked as he turned to face the blond. "You're on."

* * *

Natsumi's POV

"Gah! I'm bored!" Setsuna looked up and glared at me to shut me up. Sadly, that never worked on me. "It's hot, I'm tired, sweating and this job is so damn boring!" Now, it was Chiei's turn to speak. "I know you're uncomfortable. We all are. But complaining won't get this shack repaired." "I know! Argh! Let's just finish this quickly! I wanna go train." Setsuna got up and looked around. "Setsuna?" She found the thing she was looking for. "Setsuna, what're you doing?" "Speeding up our work. It's a good thing there's a river behind this shack." I saw her performed some hand seals. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu." Five clones climbed out of the water as Setsuna ordered them around. "Wow! That's smart thinking." Setsuna flashed me a smirk, "Just because you're too stupid."

"Nani! I can do that too!"

"Natsumi, I suggest you don't."

"Why not, Chiei?"

"Too many cooks spoil the broth." ((Not to mention their mentality will be the same as the real person. She'll most likely make things worst.))

"Whatever, as long as we can finish this soon."

* * *

Setsuna's POV

Finally, the shack was rebuilt. Now, I could go train. I took the route to Naruto's training site. To my surprise, Naruto was slumped against one of the posts. He looked really tired, and really pissed. Uchiha Sasuke was standing in front of him. "The blond charged forward, fist drawn back. Sasuke easily side-stepped the attack and returned the punch. Naruto tumbled back. "Kuso…" I walked into sight, drawing their attention. "Setsuna? What are you doing here?" The Uchiha gave me a piercing stare. "You were the one here yesterday, weren't you?" I smirked lightly, "Yes. I borrowed your training site for a bit of training." The raven-haired boy looked at me for a while and then said, "Spar with me." I raised an eyebrow. Here was a boy a year younger than me, challenging me to a fight. But, as an Uchiha, "Hn. Omoshiroi. Alright then."

* * *

Natsumi's POV

"Please don't tell me I'm lost again…" I looked around. "But I followed Lee-senpai's directions properly. Mou…" "What are you doing here?" I whirled around to find myself face to face with a tall boy with freaky pupil-less eyes. ((Wait! I've seen him somewhere before.)) "Hm…Ah! You're Hyuuga Neji! I remember you!" Neji looked mildly surprised. "You are…Sakamoto Natsumi, am I right?" I nodded vigorously. ((Hey, maybe he could help me.)) But Neji was already walking away. "H-Hey, wait up!" ((That prick! He ignored me!)) I didn't have any choice; I didn't want to get lost again. I hastily followed him. We arrived at a clearing and I saw Lee-senpai. "Lee-senpai!" "Natsumi-san." Lee-senpai said smilingly. "She was lost." The Hyuuga stated. Lee-senpai sweatdropped. "Natsumi-san, again?" I stuck out my tongue, embarrassed. Lee-senpai just shook his head. "Neji saw you with his Byakugan, so I asked him to get you." I blinked. "Really? Thanks then, Neji." I turned to Lee-senpai.

"What are you guys doing?" "Training." A girl with two buns answered. I struggled to remember her name. "Um, you're Ten Ten, right?" She grinned and nodded. "Say, can I train with you?" Lee-senpai looked startled and glanced at his friends. They nodded. "Yay!"

* * *

**Team 7 Training Site**

Sasuke got into fighting stance. He rushed at Setsuna. Setsuna easily saw through his attack and evaded. "You're so slow." Sasuke's eyes widened as Setsuna disappeared from his sight and appeared behind him. He collected chakra at his feet and bounded away. He sped towards the grey-eyed girl. Setsuna was prepared for a frontal attack but Sasuke suddenly disappeared. ((Below!)) She blocked the kick quickly, but it still sent her upwards. "Here it comes." Sasuke began to launch kicks and punches. "Shishi Rendan!" yelled the Uchiha as he slammed Setsuna into the ground. He smirked satisfactorily. When the dust cleared, where Setsuna should have been, there was a log instead. ((Shimatta!)) A kunai was pressed on his neck. "Don't look down on me just because I'm a girl. Come at me with everything you've got." Sasuke glared. "If that's what you want," Sasuke jumped back. Setsuna noticed his eyes turned red. She smirked, "What an honour to finally be able to witness the Sharingan."

Sasuke fingered a kunai. Suddenly, he disappeared. Setsuna tensed. ((!)) She barely dodged his kicks, but got punched in the end. ((His speed has increased!)) "Ch! Katon, Goukyakyuu no Jutsu!" Setsuna's eyes went wide. ((I can't dodge this one.)) "Suiton, Suijin Heki!" Now it was Sasuke's turn to be surprised. A wall of water rose to meet the flames. Black smoke billowed as Sasuke tried to see through the thick smoke. ((Doko ka?)) "Where are you looking at?"

Naruto was tense with excitement. Setsuna was well-matched against Sasuke! She might even be better! But with all the smoke, he could no longer see what was happening in the battle. When the smoke finally cleared, the two were in a lock, kunai against kunai. Both slid back. Sasuke threw a few shurikens. Setsuna ducked, but Sasuke had anticipated that. He rushed forward, ready with a kick. Just at that moment, Sasuke felt something grip his left foot and he went hurtling forward. Landing carefully, he wheeled around to see what had caused him to slip. ((A puddle? Did my foot sink in the puddle? No, there was a pulling force in the water just now.)) "Truly the power of the Sharingan. That was an enjoyable spar." "You're not bad either." "Suge! That was a cool battle! Too bad Sasuke tripped in the end." Sasuke glared at Naruto. Setsuna stood up and picked up her kunai. "It's late now. Aren't you going home?" asked the kunoichi. She was referring to Naruto. "Okay, okay. Ja na, Sasuke." Sasuke waved goodbye. He too wanted to head home. During the walk home, one thought constantly played in his mind. ((What was that strange force just now?))

* * *

**Naruto's Apartment**

"Ano sa, ano sa. That was a cool jutsu just now!" Setsuna turned to the blond beside her. "Ne, ne. Teach me that jutsu! Please!" Chiei entered then. "What jutsu?" They turned their heads to see her coming in with a pot of stew. "When Sasuke used the Goukyakyuu no Jutsu, she made a wall of water come up! It was really cool!" Chiei raised her eyebrows and glanced over at Setsuna, "You were fighting with Uchiha-kun?" Setsuna ladled some stew into her bowl. "_Sparring_. He challenged me first anyway. Still, it was interesting." Chiei smiled silently, "My, my. You've found an opponent already."

"Tadaima!"

"Ah, o kaeri nasai, Natsumi. You're rather late today."

"I was training with Lee-senpai. You know, Neji's eyes really freak me out. When we were training just now, it went all weird and the nerves, you can see the nerves!" Setsuna shifted a little to let the dark-haired girl sit down at the table. "The Byakugan…it's a special doujutsu, isn't it? (Doujutsu – Eye jutsu)" inquired Chiei. Setsuna nodded and said, "Byakugan is a bloodline limit that allows the user to see through his surroundings. The range depends on the user. But that's not all. The Byakugan, one can say, is superior to the Sharingan in the sense that while the Sharingan allows you to copy jutsus, the Byakugan can see the tenketsus." Natsumi cocked her head to one side, "What's tenketsus?" "It's a very tiny opening that allows chakra to pass. By pressing certain points, or tenketsus, the Byakugan user can increase or stop the chakra's flow. If the tenketsus are sealed, the opponent will not be able to use chakra." Chiei provided. Naruto thought back to the last Chuunin exam where he had to fight Neji, "Yeah. That really hurts. But I defeated him anyways." The blond grinned triumphantly.

At that instance, the three girls turned to Naruto. Setsuna looked rather curious, "You have fought him before?" Naruto nodded, "In the Chuunin exam last year. During the finals." Chiei seemed to be in deep thought. "How did you win if you can't use chakra?" asked Natsumi. "There isn't any known way of reversing the circumstance if one's tenketsus are sealed." Naruto grinned, "I managed." After that dinner proceeded in very much of a usual manner.

* * *

**Ichiraku Ramen**

The ramen shop was rather packed today, as it had more customers than usual. Seated near the counter were Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba. Along with them, Naruto had also invited the three girls to come along. "Do you know?" started Shikamaru. "The Chuunin exam is coming in a couple of months. I heard that it'll be held in Kirigakure no Sato (Hidden Mist Village) this time." Natsumi, who was slurping down her ramen, said, "That means we'll be going back to Mizu no Kuni." Naruto remained oddly quiet. Chiei called him gently, "Naruto-kun, Naruto-kun, is something wrong?" Naruto shook his head and smiled, "Iya, just thinking about something." Setsuna too was quiet, but then again, she was always quiet.

"You figure all of us Genins are taking part?" asked Naruto. The shadow master shrugged, "Don't have any idea. But I'm sure your team will be taking it." "That's right!" Naruto turned to Chiei, "What about you three? Are you going to take part in this Chuunin exam?" Setsuna had a strange glint in her stormy grey eyes as she replied, "Of course."

* * *

Translation

Suge – That's great

Tadaima – I'm home

O kaeri nasai – Welcome home

A/N: Please review ne?


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